Bacon and Eggs Makeover - Traditional Quiche Lorraine

I don't subscribe to the philosophy of "Real men don't eat quiche".  I call Bologna!  Whoever cooked up that saying, was simply trying to secure more quiche for themselves.  Why wouldn't men eat quiche?  In it's most basic form, quiche is nothing more than an egg pie.  Men like eggs, and most men definitely like pie. (I think it's a "Y" Chromosome thing)  In the case of Quiche Lorraine, you have the added benefit of Bacon.  I think it's safe to say that most, if not all, men like bacon.    mmmmmmm  B-A-C-O-N...  mmmmmmmm  P-I-E...   mmmmmmm B-A-C-O-N  P-I-E...  mmmmmm Q-U-I-C-H-E    L-O-R-R-A-I-N-E... 

I have to be honest though, I am sure that my defense of quiche consumption by the male of the species has to do with my parents.  Mom use to bake this Bacon, Potato and Clam quiche when we were kids.  Now you must understand that I come from a long line of fish eaters.  Oh yes.  Pretty much anything that contains some form of water breather is fair game in this family.  We absolutely loved that quiche when we were growing up.  Of course we didn't know it was anything French or fancy or "chi chi pu pu" like "quiche" supposedly is.  We called it Clam Chowder Pie.  Which stands to reason since it IS all about Pie after all; am I right?

Say it with me now, "Quiche is Pie.  Quiche is Pie." Granted, it's a savory custard pie, but it's still pie.  And pie is pie.  My grandfather use to say that there were only 2 types of pie that were fit to eat...  Hot pie and cold pie.  I cherish that small slice of wisdom.

I have heard from some that the reason they do not like quiche is because they don't like custard.  This always amuses me because these are usually the same people who can consume half a cheese cake, pumpkin pie, coconut cream or key lime pie in one sitting; all of which are custard pies.  What exactly constitutes a custard?  Custard is defined as Eggs and Moo Juice (milk or cream) cooked together until thickened.  Whether baked, simmered in a bain marie, or cooked in a pressure cooker, any combination of eggs and milk that begins to thicken, is a custard.  Creme Anglaise, cooked puddings and some mousse bases are also custards. Even cheese "cake" is a custard. True, it's denser than most, but at it's core, it's a custard pie made with cream cheese instead of cream.

My favorite quiche, by far, is Quiche Lorraine.  You just cannot go wrong with Bacon and Egg Pie.

But something strange has happened to Lorraine in the United States.  It's always full of stuff that doesn't belong.  Something must have gotten lost in translation somewhere.  It's probably due to the lack of one of the essential ingredients that CHEESE entered into this quintessential quiche of the Lorre valley.  Not that I have anything against cheese mind you, but it doesn't belong in Quiche Lorraine.  While I am on the subject of mysterious adjuncts, onions do not belong in Quiche Lorraine either.  It does, however, belong in Quiche Alsacienne (Bacon, Onion and Egg Pie).  I think Alsace should be given it's due for adding onions.

But back to the mysterious practice of adding cheese to Quiche Lorraine.

As I stated before, I think I figured out the why of it.  It adds a richness to the quiche that regular heavy cream just doesn't have.  The only problem is that the cheese contains a significant amount of protein and can make the quiche tough.  I HATE tough quiche.  Though I will admit that I enjoy Quiche Vosgienne on occasion (with Gruyere added) the basic issue can be corrected but using the correct cream, and heavy cream isn't the right one.

Don't worry, I am not talking about some fancy cream from a specific breed of cow in France that consumes spring grass and lavender blossoms.  I am simply talking about Crème Fraîche.  Yep, make your quiche with Crème Fraîche instead of heavy cream and it will be perfect in texture and flavor every time.  No cheeses need apply, unless absolutely necessary. (as in the case of Quiche Vosgienne)  Sadly, you cannot substitute Sour Cream or Yogurt; they will curdle and give you a lumpy and less than satisfactory texture.  ew! 

I am just sayin', this is how they make Quiche Lorraine in Lorraine. 

One of the nontraditional things I do is using a small amount of Spelt flour in the crust.  I tend to think of quiche as being a more rustic dish, thus a little less "refined" flour kinda fits the bill in my book.  It helps that Spelt flour has a delicious nutty flavor without the "sweetness" that whole wheat usually imparts. (it compliments the Crème Fraîche quite well)  I love this crust recipe and have started using it for a lot of savory pie applications.  It's a modification of the pastry crust I originally used on my Asparagus and Gruyere tart recipe (Sour Cream/Peppercorn pastry crust), but it works so well with other flavors (with the spelt added) that I keep coming back to it again and again. 

Quiche Lorraine

1 cup (4.4oz) (125g) AP Flour
1/2 cup (2.2oz) (62g)Spelt Flour (not traditional, but you can use more AP flour if you like)
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
optional - Several grinds of Black Pepper
8 TB unsalted Butter
1 TB Sour Cream or Crème Fraîche or an Egg Yolk (your choice, as long as it's a fat)
1 TB Ice Water
6-8 oz (170-225g) Bacon, cooked (about 12 regular slices or 6-7 thick cut)
6 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups (350ml) Crème Fraîche
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg

Always remember, the key to perfect pastry crust is cold ingredients and speed. (the refrigerator is your friend)
In a medium bowl, combine AP Flour, Spelt Flour, Salt and Black Pepper (if using) with a whisk.

Add sliced butter and work it into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter.

In a small bowl, combine Ice Water and Sour Cream with a fork.

Add this to the Flour/Butter mixture and stir with a fork until a dough forms.

You may chill it at this point if you like, or roll out to a 13 -14 inch circle.

Roll the pastry over your rolling pin to move to your 10-inch Quiche dish or tart pan with a removable bottom. Please take care if you used the Spelt flour.  Spelt makes it a little more tender and it will rip fairly easily if you try to fold it into quarters to move it.

Unroll into your dish and gently coerce it down into the dish.

Because of the rustic nature of quiche, I simply tear the extra pastry from the edge and leave it, but your can trim with a knife and crimp it if you like.

Dock it (poke holes in it) with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Line with foil and fill with beans, rice or pie weights.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Let the pastry shell cool slightly and reduce the temperature to 325F degrees.

Cook the Bacon. (By whichever method you prefer)

Chop the Bacon.

Sprinkle the Bacon all over the bottom of the cooling pastry.

Now, in a bowl, beat the eggs lightly, just until the white and yolk are combined.

Add the Crème Fraîche and stir well to combine (be careful not the beat it too much, you want to keep the bubbles to a minimum)

Season with a dash of Nutmeg, Salt and a sprinkle of White Pepper.

Pour into the awaiting pastry shell very slowly as to not dislodge the bacon from the bottom. (this is why I tend to use thick cut bacon, it doesn't float like the thinner slices do)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center is just barely set.

Let rest on the counter for 10-15 minutes to allow it to finish cooking.

Cut a slice and enjoy the best Bacon and Egg Pie that you ever had.

Mangia!!
~~

Tomatoes Get the Brandy Blues - Brandied Gorgonzola Tomato Soup

Don't you just hate it when someone goes to a restaurant and has something really awesome; then, when they are telling you about it, they just automatically ASSUME that since you cook a lot of different things, you will just magically know how to make it?   I mean come on!   Just because I talk like Alton Brown sometimes and have read The Joy Of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Silver Spoon from cover to cover like novels, does not mean that I am capable of mind melding with every chef on the planet and simply downloading selected information from their brains.  (Although THAT would be really really really cool)

Such was the story of my mother and her Blue Cheese/Brandy Tomato Soup that she consumed at the 42nd Street Cafe in Seaview, WA (which is just south of Longbeach, WA). 

Normally I make tomato soup with my slow cooked tomato sauce and some cream or half & half.  Pretty simple really.  So I started asking questions.  I mean, obviously it had Blue Cheese & Brandy in it, but that really doesn't help much... There are at least 10 Blue Cheeses that I can name and they all taste different.  So I started asking questions like.....

"Does it have cream in it?"  She didn't know.
"Is it chunky or smooth?"  She said it was smooth (OK, so it IS pureed)
"Did you taste Basil in it?"  She didn't remember.
"Was it Brandy or Cognac?"  She didn't know.
"Did they mention what Blue Cheese was in it?"  She said no.
"Did you ask them for the recipe?"  She didn't, because she was sure that I would be able to figure it out.

(sigh)  While I am deeply touched that she thinks that highly of my culinary skills, considering that we still argue about the deliciousness of polenta and the intrinsic food value of gnocchi (cause she hates both of them), I knew right off the bat that I was not going to be able to pass off my normal tomato soup by just adding some blue cheese and brandy to it.  Thus, I have been pondering this recipe for about 2 months now.

Enter Michael Symon.....

I was watching a rerun of CHEW, thanks to my SIL for pointing me at that show, and they were covering soups.  Michael was making this Blue Cheese/Sriracha Tomato Soup.

Brain Flash!
After the smoke cleared and the scent of of Ozone dissipated, I decided to use his soup as a base... OK, all I really did was substitute the Sriracha with Red Pepper Paste, change the Blue Cheese from Buttermilk Blue to Gorgonzola Dolce and finish the soup with some Brandy.  Oh, and I dropped the Oregano...  I thought Dill would work better with my changes.

Bingo!!  It worked...  In fact, mom was licking the bottom of the pot.  Woo hoo!  So thank you Mr. Symon for pointing me in the right direction.

Brandied Gorgonzola Tomato Soup

2 TB olive oil
6 oz (170g) Red Onion, chopped (that's about 1 medium red onion)
Kosher Salt
4 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 28-ounce (794g) can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) (355ml) Chicken Stock
3/4 cup (6 oz) (177ml) Heavy Cream
1 TB Red Pepper Concentrate (The stuff in the tube by Amore)
1 small sprig of Dill Weed (you need to fish it out later)
1/2 cup (2.25 oz) (65g) Gorgonzola Dolce (creamy Gorg - AKA: Dolcelatte), plus more for serving
2 TB Brandy (oh yeah, baby!)
Crème Fraîche for serving

Begin by heating the oil in a stock pot set over medium flame.

When hot, add the Red Onion and Kosher Salt, sweat for about 2 minutes. (The salt will force the water in the onions to release)

Add the Garlic and sweat 1 - 2 minutes longer.

Add the San Marzano Tomatoes, breaking them up a little with a spoon.

Then add the Chicken Stock as well.

Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Add the Heavy Cream and the Red Pepper Concentrate along with the sprig of Dill.

Return the mixture to a low simmer, cover and continue simmering for 40 minutes.

OK, Food Processor, Schmood Processor....  If you have a stick blender, your good to go.

Remove the Dill weed, add the Gorgonzola Dolce and beat the whole mixture into submission with the stick blender.

Run the soup through a strainer into a clean pot.

(this will remove the tomato seeds, of which there really aren't many, cause San Marzanos are almost seedless)

Return the soup to a low flame and stir in the Brandy.

Serve with a dollop of Crème Fraîche and a sprinkle of crumbled Gorgonzola.

Honestly, I think this is the best tomato soup I have ever had!  It's amazing!  If you're not a blue cheese fan, worry not.  You don't really "taste" blue cheese... There just isn't enough in the soup.  But somehow, some way, if gives more of a back bone to the sweetness of the San Marzano tomatoes... Then again, maybe I just got too much brandy in the soup.  ;)

If you'll excuse me now, I think I need to go have another bowl...

Now THIS is what I call Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

Mangia!!
~~

Puttin on the Ritz - Crème Vichyssoise

Debate abounds as to the true origin of this exquisite soup.  Personally I believe Louis Diat (of the Ritz Carlton) when he stated that he modeled the soup after his mother's recipe, remembering how delicious it was when he and his brother poured cold milk into it.  Thus, he attempted to capture a childhood memory and serve it to his guests.

There are two other "origins" which may or may not be true to some extent.  French chef Jules Gouffé published a recipe that included potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, and cream in a cookbook entitled Royal Cookery (circa 1869), though Jules serves his hot.  There is another form of this recipe that appears even earlier under the name Potage Parmentier, named after Antoine Auguste Parmentier. The story is that Parmentier, on his return from a German prison camp, after the Seven Year War (1756-1763), noticed the sad plight of the French people.  In response, he set up several potato soup kitchens in the city of Paris to feed the poor.

In the grand scheme of things, I suppose it matters not whether this delicious soup is of French, American origin or even "War with Germany" inspired.  Either way, it was a Frenchman who invented the dish...  All I personally care about is how delectable it is.  Though traditionally served chilled, I like it hot as well.  Especially on a cold wet day like today.  Yep, piping hot and velvety; potato and leek soup just hits the spot.

There are a couple ways to go about preparing this soup.  The whole point is to "mill" the soup to obtain a creamy consistency... So, Blender, Food Processor, Stick Blender or a Food Mill; the choice is entirely up to you.  My personal preference, though it takes a little more time and a little more elbow grease, is the food mill.  I feel it gives a more consistent "grain" to the soup than a food processor of stick blender.  But that is just me, and I am infamous for doing things the hard way.  (see my pesto recipe)

Once you have chosen your method of "creaming" the only other decision is whether to Glacée or Not Glacée (meaning chilled or not chilled)   Like I said, I like it hot too.  And since it is only about 44 degrees outside and the rain is making everything damp... Tonight, my vote is for hot.

Crème Vichyssoise

2 TB Unsalted Butter
2 cups (7.5 oz) (215 g) Leek, sliced
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) (45 g) White Onion, Chopped
1/4 cup (2 oz) (60 ml) Cold Water
1/4 cup (2 oz) (60 ml) White Wine
2 1/4 cup (12.5 oz) (355 g) Russet Potato, diced
2 cups (16 oz) (470 ml) Chicken Stock
1 cup (8 oz) (265 ml) Whole Milk
3/4 cup (6 oz) (175 ml) Half and Half
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
3/4 cup (6 oz) (175 ml) Heavy Cream

For Serving:
Chives or Green Onion
Crème Fraîche
optional - Caviar

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

Add the leek and onion to the pot, sweating until soft.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine Water and White Wine so that as you peel and cube the potatoes, you can add them to the bowl and toss to coat. (the acid in the wine will prevent browning)

Now that the potatoes are well coated with acid, add the chicken stock to the potatoes as well.

When the Leek and Onion are nice and tender, add the potatoes along with all the liquid in the bowl.

Cover and bring to a simmer, then allow it to continue simmering for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the Milk, Half and Half and perform an initial seasoning check and adjust with a little Kosher Salt. (remember, less is more because you are going to season it again at the end)

Bring the soup just to a boil (to scald the milk) then remove from the flame.

Now, either beat it into submission with a stick blender, pour it into your food processor and blitz it (in batches), use a conventional blender to puree it (also in batches, Or.....

Like I prefer to do, use a food mill and a little elbow grease.

Pour the soup back into the pot and return to low flame, then add the Heavy Cream.

Adjust seasoning again with White Pepper (cause black flakes would look weird) and more Kosher salt (if neceassary).

Now...  I like it hot, so I serve immediately with a dollop of Creme Fraiche and a spoon of Caviar, topped of with a sprinkle of chives or thinly sliced green onion for punch.

OR... You can move the soup to a storage container and chill until ready to serve.

This recipe makes enough to serve 4-6 people... or in my case... 1 person... Cause I am a pig.  LOL

Mangia!!
~~